Turning signal lights

I had almost the same problem on my 1998 f150 right turn signal stoped working. Instead of teling you a long story about lots of time spnt this is what I found to be my problem. The tilt steering had broken one of the wires a short way back from the multifunction switch. Found out later this is one of the common problems.

Brake lights work fine. Truck manufactured in march 1999. Flasher relay sits next to hazard relay to the right of the steering column, by themselves, not in the "fuse block" (I can feel each one click as I engage the turn signal or hazard. Is there another relay I'm missing. Taking the entire center dash off is a pain but I'll have to do it. Haynes manual lists the blower/flasher relay on elec. Diagram and says it's located behind center dash but doesn't show picture. (This interested me since my blower fan just quit amidst this turn signal nightmare.) All I know now is when I try to follow the wires out of the flasher relay they go toward the center dash as they disappear from my sight with my head wedged next to the gas pedal. Am I gonna find another relay or link in the turn signal circuit if I dismantle the dashboard?

Thanks for writing. This was the first thing a mechanic buddy of mine suggested when I told him the problem. Did you "see" signs of the wire break(insulation cracked, black stuff from arcing, exposed wire, etc.) My diagnostic equipment consists of a test light, a voltmeter, and two marbles rollin around in my head. I'm guessing if I can't see the short, I'll have to wiggle jiggle or use needlenose pliers to push the wire back up into those gray sockets that plug into the multifunction switch.

I have a 1998 and that is correct the is a flasher in the center of the dash its kind of hard to get to and has a black cover over it and another type of relay also replaced this flasher think it was abouth 12-15 dollars. It was very hard to get to mine is almost in line with the steering.

When you unplug the harness from the multifunction switch look at the connection point on the switch mine was broken off in the switch and I was able to remove the one wire connector and solder it back. I also took a meter and checked the switch the haynes manual has all the volts each should have.

Hey joe dont get lost in some of my key strokes more often my head gets ahead of my excellent typing skills. However the problem you are having drove me crazy for over a year. I just happened upon your topic looking on here for info for a easy fix for air pocket in my cooling system.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, the flasher/hazard is located in a difficult spot. Center dash seems a little vague, though(thanks, Mr. Haynes) Unfortunately, though, your problem was not the same as mine. Both my left and right flashers do the same thing. Nothing. They both work intermittently. One day sitting in the truck with the ignition on and the signal switch engaged I got nothing for a half hour, then out of the blue, the flasher operated properly for 5 clicks without me touching anything, then stopped again. I bought another flasher and got the same intermittent activity with left and right signals. Sounds like an open circuit/ground short. Right! At least you didn't start throwing parts at the problem like I did. Mulitfunction switch and 2 relays was over 100 bucks. Appreciate your help.

No, but I've pinpoint the problem area. I started to pull, probe and tug the 4 wires coming out of the relay socket and got the flasher to work momentarily. Now all that's left to do is take the steering column dash off so I can remove the flasher/hazard relay bracket. Then maybe I can pinpoint the exact loose wire and clean up that connection. Ford does not make it easy to access this. I wonder why?

Yeah, I do need help. Here's a funny story. The whole time I thought I was replacing the turn signal/hazard relay, I was replacing the blower motor relay. They sit right next to each other, just like the haynes wiring diagram says. Apparently this is what made my blower motor fail to work. After figuring this out, I put the original blower motor relay back and it worked. Yayyy! Sad part is the turn signal/hazard relay(ford's is a blue color) is still intermittent. I wiggled jiggled probed, etc. And that's doing nothing. I bent the relay blades a little and scuffed em up with a wire brush to improve the connection and I get the signal to work for 10 clicks then 6 clicks then 2 clicks, then nothing. But the hazards still work all the time without fail. I used a test light to determine which wires were the control and power circuit and which wire sent the power to the signal bulbs. ( When the flasher worked, the test light blinked in unison with the signal bulbs) Whoopdedoo! I still can't pinpoint the problem and the two new relays I bought won't make the signal work even one time. At this point it seems I'm either looking in the wrong spot or the new relays I bought got cooked when I put them on the blower motor socked or they were garbage to begin with. If you need another donation for a response, let me know. I need help.

I don't know what the turn signal combo switch is, but I do know this. I put the new turn signal/hazard relays in the blower motor socket and they both burnt out. Talk about bonehead manuevers of the year. For all future f150 turn signal relay problems, make sure you replace the BLUE relay, that's the turn signal/hazard relay. The one next to it is black, and it runs the blower motor, and it will cook your new signal relay if you plug it in there. Thank you 2carpros, you didn't help, but you did give me a place to vent my frustration.

I have the same exact problem as joe with my 1998 F150 XLT. Intermittent turn signals. Hazard lights always working without fail. Sometimes I am able to get the blinkers to work by pounding on the underneath area of the steering column/dashboard. It seems more effective to smack the area underneath the wheel than actually knocking around the sheath around the gear shift & multi-function switch. I replaced the flasher relay and everything works again. Thanks for the help I love this site.